Earlier this month a high-profile American preacher, addressing a gathering of Jews and Christians in his country, sent this message to Israel: “You are not alone.

“Fifty million American evangelicals stand with you,” he said.

This was encouraging news.

So were reports this week that a newly-commissioned survey of US voters conducted by a highly-regarded polling company found that ordinary Americans by the tens of millions remain good friends of Israel and have a clear understanding of some of the real dangers facing the tiny Jewish state.

This was very good news indeed.

It told the virtually universally-hated Jewish people that they are not as friendless as they believe they are.

It told Israelis, whose state is treated like a pariah by virtually the entire world, that lots of people still care about this nation.

It was one-in-the-eye for those great (mis-)shapers of human thinking – like CNN, ABC, the New York Times and Time magazine – showing that years of unrelenting anti-Israel coverage by these and other overwhelmingly liberal media have failed to brainwash most Americans.

It also showed that a large majority of Americans oppose the approach taken by their successive administrations, including the present one, towards solving the Israeli-Arab conflict.

George W. Bush’s vision of “two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace” is neither shared by his people, nor do they believe in it.

Israelinsider reported the new poll’s findings as follows:

• By a margin of 2-to-1 (45%- 22%), Americans believe that a Palestinian Arab state would be a terrorist state rather than a peaceful democracy;

• By a margin of 5-to-1 (60% - 11%), Americans believe that Israel should not make more land giveaways to the Palestinian Arabs.

• By a margin of 10-to-1 (45% - 4.6%) Americans overwhelmingly support Israelis over the Palestinian Arabs.

• By a margin of more than 5-to-1 (65% - 11%), Americans believe that Saudi Arabia is not a reliable and trustworthy ally in the war against radical Islamic terrorism;

• By a margin of nearly 2-to-1 (46% - 24%), Americans believe that Egypt is not a reliable and trustworthy ally in the war against radical Islamic terrorism; and

• By a margin of nearly 2-to-1 (51% - 26%), Americans believe that the US should impose economic sanctions on Saudi Arabia until it stops its support and funding for terrorists and radical Islamic education that teaches hatred of America and Israel.

Yes, these reports certainly made for cheering reading in Israel. It is hard to exaggerate how unloved – despised actually – Israel’s Jews feel.

But apart from providing a momentary lift, a glimmer of hope, what – in the final analysis – do these figures really mean? What is their net worth to Israel?

Take the contention that “50 million evangelicals” stand with Israel.

Just how many evangelical Christians are in the United States is unclear. The most recent figures vary enormously, between 84 million (self-described evangelicals) and 18 million (according to a nine-point criteria checklist used by the respected Barna Group).

Even if we were to settle on 18 million, how many of these really care about Israel?

• Care enough to, say, make their way to Washington to engulf Capitol Hill with their presence in a way that US lawmakers will not be able to ignore. (Forget 50 million or 18 million; were just one or two million to do this, they would shake the ruling administration to the core and force a change in Middle East policy.)

• Care enough to put aside their personal desires and ambitions (that new car, that top job) and instead come to Israel to look the Jewish people in the eye and tell them: “You see, you really are not alone.”

• Care enough to fast and pray for Israel once a month, or even once a year?

What about the majority of Americans (whatever their religious persuasion) the above-mentioned poll indicates oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state on the Land of Israel, and strongly reject the idea of Israel giving any more land away to the Arabs?

Are such sentiments significant enough to influence their choices when the next general elections roll around?

Let’s say the Republican presidential candidate who runs in 2008 is out and out committed to fighting for a blanket abortion ban and for the right of American children to pray in school. And then let’s say he just as strongly believes that Israel must be coerced into permitting the creation of “Palestine” in the “West Bank” – including the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount – for the sake of securing Middle East peace. Which issue is going to count for this majority that today says it believes this very “Palestine” will become a terrorist state?

The answer is obvious.

It’s actually not news that a majority of Americans have long been pro-Israel. Their deeply-rooted Judeo-Christian heritage has seen to that and, as long as it continues to play a major role in shaping their thinking, they will remain supportive.

But this has not helped, not really; not where the rubber meets the road.

All these friendly feelings have done nothing to check the steady erosion of Israel’s security by the land-for-peace process pursued by successive American administrations since 1977 – administrations which have deliberately chosen for the oil-endowed massive Arab world at resource-poor little Israel’s expense.

These “millions” of pro-Israel Americans have done very little to punish their presidents for promoting such policies.

What all this says to me is that we have a very long way to go indeed before Israel will have anywhere near enough committed supporters to really make a difference.

Talk is cheap and throwing numbers around is easy. Flashy, $100,000 banquets in hotel ballrooms may help to generate a few more warm fuzzies towards Israel; powerfully emotive speeches may bring the masses leaping to their feet in applause and encourage the signing of donation checks – but none of these things is going to help Israel when it really matters. They will all be too little, too late.

As Christian Zionists who know that Israel is in danger of being totally ostracized and then destroyed, we bluff ourselves to our shame, and our Israeli friends at their peril.

Israel will soon stand alone in this world. When she does, the only true friends she will have will be true Christians.

If we really care, and want to show that we really care, then we had better start bracing to lose our countrymen, our friends, even members of our families.

We must get this into our heads and into the heads of the pro-Israel Christian world:Standing with Israel in a way that counts for something is almost sure to cost us everything.

And yet, were a mere one million of us willing to pay that price, we would be of incalculably greater value to Israel than 50 million fair weather friends.